Chokehold, broken arm, four missiles: series of incidents raises concerns about journalists' safety

Israeli soldiers violently detained an American CNN crew on Thursday, March 27, in the village of Tayasir in the occupied West Bank of the Jordan. Photojournalist Cyril Theophilos ended up on the ground after a soldier's chokehold, and his camera was damaged in the process. The incident occurred just hours after Israeli settlers brutally attacked local Palestinians and built a new illegal outpost. CNN ↗

Settlers stormed into Tayasir during the night hours, firing into the air and physically attacking several residents. Seventy-five-year-old Abdullah Daraghmeh suffered a skull fracture, multiple facial bone fractures, and lost teeth. By morning, a new illegal outpost stood in the village. When Israeli soldiers arrived at the scene, however, their response targeted not the settlers but the journalists and local residents. CNN ↗

Soldiers pointed rifles at both the reporters and the civilians present. One of them grabbed photojournalist Theophilos from behind, threw him to the ground in a chokehold, and damaged his camera. Within minutes, CNN crew members as well as several Palestinians were detained. CNN ↗

The statements made by the soldiers themselves were particularly troubling. A soldier named Meir admitted that the settler outpost he was protecting was illegal under Israeli law, but added that it would become a legal settlement and that he was helping his people build it. Other soldiers repeatedly declared that the entire West Bank belongs to Israel and the Jewish people, and labeled all Palestinians as terrorists. CNN ↗

The Foreign Press Association (FPA), which represents hundreds of correspondents in Israel and the Palestinian territories, described the incident as a violent attack on clearly identified journalists and an attack on press freedom. Israeli army spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani stated that the soldiers' behavior did not meet IDF standards, apologized, and promised an investigation. CNN ↗

The incident in Tayasir fits into a broader context of tension surrounding the work of journalists in the region. Just ten days earlier, on March 17, Israeli police took action against journalists in front of the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. CNN producer Abeer Salman suffered a broken arm after a police officer violently twisted it. Freelance photographer Faiz Abu Rmeleh was attacked by a group of about 15 police officers, who damaged his camera and confiscated his memory cards. A Xinhua agency photojournalist was also beaten. CPJ ↗

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) called on Israeli authorities to end the use of violence against journalists, describing the incidents as a pattern of restricting journalists in Jerusalem. Israeli police claimed the journalists had not identified themselves. However, according to the newspaper Haaretz, the journalists' union called this claim completely false, stating that video footage shows the police knew they were dealing with journalists. CPJ ↗

On the very same day CNN published its report on the Tayasir incident, Israel struck a clearly marked press vehicle with missiles in southern Lebanon. On Saturday, March 28, three journalists were killed: al-Mayadeen reporter Fatima Ftouni, her brother and cameraman Mohammed Ftouni, and al-Manar reporter Ali Shoaib. According to al-Mayadeen, the vehicle was hit by four precision-guided missiles. Al Jazeera ↗

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the killings as a flagrant crime that violates all norms and treaties of international law. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam described the attack as a gross violation of international humanitarian law. The Israeli army claimed that Shoaib was operating within Hezbollah and monitoring the positions of Israeli soldiers. Al-Manar rejected these allegations. Al Jazeera ↗

According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Israel was among the countries with the highest number of journalists killed in the world between 2023 and 2025. In the press freedom ranking, Israel fell to 112th place out of 180 countries in 2025. CPJ documented that in 2025, Israel was responsible for approximately two-thirds of the 129 journalists killed worldwide. For journalists in the region, it is thus increasingly the case that the line between observer and party to the conflict is dangerously blurring. Al Jazeera ↗